Super Mario: Stars, Heroes, and Monsters
by drewmaster
Summary: Most would think that they know themselves pretty well, right? How are we supposed to know how well we know ourselves? Why don't you tell me who you are then, sir?  Can you then tell me who I am?  I wish it were that simple.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story I've been writing on and off for a few years now. I haven't gotten far, only seven chapters.**

**I have a better idea for the solid direction this story will be taking so I think I will be updating pretty regularly. Hopefully.**

**Also, when I picture this story, just like any of my stories, I imagine it as very serious and real life-like. For example, imagine a koopa but like one of those realism paintings you might find on a fan art website. I picture most of my stuff along those lines instead of the goofy childish representations of the official stories.  
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**I can't believe that I accidentally deleted chapter 12 of "Mlaatr: Maverick Hunter X." I'm likely going to have to rewrite it if I can't find an old copy of it anywhere. That's easier said than done to recall a whole chapter written over a year ago. That's why I'm going to go ahead and release the first few chapters of this story now so you guys won't think I left you hanging.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story.

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Somewhere, in an old abandoned mansion, a secret meeting was being held. The ones holding the meeting was a race of people who were usually avoided and secluded anyway, but on this occasion, they specifically wanted this particular meeting to be as secret as possible. These people were basically ghosts called Boos.

The deepest basement level was where the meeting was actually being held. In this particular mansion, the basement was anything but small and cramped. It was actually quite large. A very long table was set up in the middle of the floor and many Boos from all over the world sat at the table with worried expressions on their faces.

Keep in mind that there are millions of Boos all over the world, so only forty Boos were selected to attend this meeting. Out of the forty major Boo districts, one Boo is selected to be a representative of the Boos in that region. Neither of them necessarily held any real political power and neither of them were necessarily considered leaders either. They were merely representatives, but in case such a meeting should ever be held, these Boos' other role would be to return with any new information and let the other Boos in that region know what took place in that meeting. Also keep in mind that Boos are usually never particularly worried about anything since they are already dead, so such meetings rarely take place.

There was one seat still empty as they waited for the last representative to arrive. A sigh of relief came from most of the Boos when they could finally sense the presence of the final representative's arrival. About a minute later, the representative was seen making her way down the stairs.

"You're late Bow," One of the representatives said in an irritated tone.

She received the same irritated glance from the rest of the Boos.

"That's Lady Bow to you," Bow said in a snobbish tone as she made her way over to her seat.

"_As to exactly why they chose that arrogant snob to be their representative is a mystery I will probably never solve. The way she waves that damned fan, as if she's still the queen that she once was. She should let that go. It's ancient history now_," The same Boo thought to himself.

The others regained their more calm composures and prepared to begin the meeting. There were several already lit candles sitting on the table in a straight line with markings in a language that only Boos can understand written on the table around each candle. There was a space for a candle in the middle of the line, but the candle wasn't there. One of the Boos placed an unusual looking candle in the vacant space. This one was no larger than the other candles, but its appearance was very odd and would probably startle other beings if they saw it.

All of the Boos held out their hands, palms facing upwards, and each formed a small ball of fire. They all then simultaneously sent the balls of fire towards the middle candle and the candle finally lit. The strange candle's flame was a dark purple color. A few seconds later, the markings on the table lit up and the other candle's flames also turned purple. The bright light these candles created changed the overall appearance of the room. Before this, the room had a dark gloomy feel to it, but the room was now bright and lively. The purple light became bright and yellow and made the room seem as though yellow sun light were pouring in through the windows, even though there weren't any actual windows in the basement. The Boos' appearance's changed from their usual rounded mostly featureless body shapes into the shapes they were in when they were still alive. If a living person were to walk into the basement at that moment, they wouldn't be able to tell that these people were actually Boos.

"So, why was this meeting scheduled in the first place? This was a bad time for me. I don't like cancelling plans," Bow said irritated.

"Do you really mean to say that you are the only Boo in the world that hasn't noticed the imbalance?" A tall man dressed like a judge asked.

"Of course I noticed it. I would have to be completely insane not to. I just don't see why everyone thinks it's so serious. I was hoping everyone would simply ignore it," Bow explained.

Despite her rude and snobbish demeanor, both male and female Boos thought Bow's appearance was absolutely stunning. Her skin seemed completely flawless. Her long lime green hair matched her eyes perfectly. Her dress was a beautiful rich dark green with thin lime green designs in certain locations with red buttons that matched the red in the bows in her hair. Her gloves were a creamy white also with thin lime green designs all over them, but with bright red and yellow bands around her wrists that matched the bows. She also wore bright red lip stick.

To say that she indeed looked like a queen was no understatement. To say that she actually was a queen, well, that would be an understatement, in a way. She wasn't actually a queen. She was the wife of an extremely wealthy businessman from long ago. When her husband died, she inherited all of the wealth and continued his work. At the time, she was at least twice as wealthy as the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, is today. Technically, that made her more powerful than most kings throughout history. She held onto that power for only three and a half years before she met her end as well.

"If you had simply ignored imbalances in your wealth when you were still alive, those imbalances could very well have ruined you financially. I'm sure you were aware of that back then, weren't you?" Another man dressed as a tax collector asked.

"Fine, you made your point. So, has anyone been able to find out any details on this disturbance?" Bow asked.

"From what we've gathered so far, it seems as though someone is behind this, and that it's not just some sort of natural anomaly. However, we still can't be sure yet. That's just the way it seems so far," An older woman dressed like an ordinary house wife said.

"The purpose of this meeting, the reason that I called you all here, is to discuss how we are to prepare ourselves in case it turns into a catastrophe," A man dressed like the general of a medieval army said.

"Why should we have to worry anyway? We're Boos now. We're already dead. How could we even be seriously affected by any of this?" A man dressed as a king asked.

"It is true that we don't know the answer to that question yet, but this imbalance is unlike anything we've sensed before. Not one Boo or anyone else who has sensed it can recognize it. What we do know though is that there are several experts that think that it's quite possible that even Boos or possibly even Phantos could be affected by all this. Some people are already trying to devise ways to prepare ourselves for this event even though they're not sure when or if it is even going to take place. The point is that a lot of us are now convinced that we cannot afford to sit idly by and wait to see what happens. That's how my army lost the war long ago, and I do not wish to see that happen to everyone now," The general said.

As the others continued to talk, Bow thought to herself "_This means that the remainder of this meeting is going to consist of us discussing the particulars of what to do about all of this. This is going to be a very long one, and very boring as well. It's really too bad that only a third of them know that Mario even exists, otherwise they would've probably suggested contacting him first. I'm the only one that actually met him and knows of his capabilities first hand. Come to think of it, it has been a while since I've seen him. Maybe I should visit that handsome little man soon_."


	2. Chapter 2

Four nights later, a huge party was held to celebrate the twenty eighth anniversary of Princess Peach's birth. Upon entering the perimeter of the fair grounds, a huge decorated sign reading "PRINCESS PEACH's 28th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION" hung so all could see it. Most of the celebrations held in the princess's honor were huge and extravagant anyway, so this was what people had come to expect.

The entire area was illuminated with bright lights that seemed to turn night into day. There were decorations of all kinds carefully organized to be as pleasing to the eye as possible in practically every corner you could find. An enormous amount of food was prepared for the many people from all over the world who were expected to be there.

And there were all kinds of people there. Humans, Toads, Goombas, Birdos, Shyguys, Yoshis, Bob-ombs, Amanitas, Amazy Dayzees, Armored Ants (now serving as gaurds for the princess), Alley Rats, Baseball Boys, Battle Beetles, Beanies, Beezos, Birdys, Blue Birds, Carrobosci, Chargin' Chucks, Cheep-Cheeps, Clubbas (also serving the princess as gaurds), Clusters, Enigmas, Jesters, Monty Moles, Bean Piranhas, and even Wigglers.

It was always a pleasure to see so many people from different species and walks of life in one place and being friendly towards each other instead of them fighting each other the way so many of the more aggressive people around the world do every day. The most important thing to him though, was that most of the friends that he made throughout the course of his life were there at the celebration. This made him feel so much more at ease. Sometimes he felt that if it weren't for them, he probably would've gone mad from all of the stress that he puts his body and mind through all the time.

Mario was his name. He was considered by many to be the guardian angel of Mushroom Kingdom. He was one of the main reasons the kingdom still stood with its rightful ruler in place even after over a decade of random heavy attacks from its many enemies. He knew the way the people admired and looked up to him, but he never once let the fame he earned go to his head. His mind was always set on doing the right thing at every turn in life even though it generally meant doing things the hard way. He didn't quite feel as if the stress was taking its toll, but he often wondered how much longer he would last.

"_It's just that…in the past few years…I've been contemplating all this the most. Am I really afraid of the future? I…_" he thought to himself before his train of thought was interrupted.

"Hey bro, what's eatin' you?" Mario's one and only brother asked.

"Hmm…I was just thinking about all the hard work we put into making sure this kingdom and all the people here in it are safe," Mario responded, "How long ago was it when we started doing what we do anyway, Luigi?"

"Ahhh…hmm…good question actually. I never really gave that much thought. We've been doing this for so long now that I don't really remember when we started," Luigi responded, "Anyway bro, you're missin' all the fun sitting there with your arms crossed. We only get the chance to attend parties once a year, so let's enjoy it while we can."

Mario nodded and stood up from the chair he sat in and watched as his brother accepted an invitation to dance from one of the women in the crowd. As he took one step towards the crowd, he stopped and looked down at his attire. He still felt a little awkward wearing a tuxedo aside from his usual plumber outfit.

"Not even my little bro knows what's about to take place here tonight. No one but me knows," he thought to himself.

The sound of the fabric in his white gloves grinding as he clenched his right fist was mostly drowned out by the sounds of the party. He took a deep breath and released the tension in his fist. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try to relax.

"Here I goooooo," he said in an almost whisper as he opened his eyes and walked straight forward with the calmest expression on his face he could make.

* * *

On stage, standing behind the podium, was none other than the ruler of Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach. At the moment, the crowd was completely silent as they listened for what the Princess had to say.

In a loud and confident tone, she began by saying "Citizens of Mushroom Kingdom, and people from all corners of the world, I thank each and every one of you here for being here tonight. It gives me so much joy to know that so many of you came from so far away just to celebrate my birthday with me. And for those who already live here in this kingdom, I thank you all the same. I appreciate it more than I could ever explain to you."

Immediately following her last word, applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

As soon as they were done, Peach said "Thank you so much. To me, this is the kind of the thing that makes being a Princess worthwhile, but we all know that I nor this kingdom would not still be here if it weren't for the support that so many have offered to this kingdom. I feel it necessary to thank all of those people who work very hard and for those who put their very lives on the line every day to insure the safety and stability of me and this kingdom."

To her right, a long table with awards of all kinds sat atop it. To her left sat the people she and the rest of the kingdom felt deserved these awards the most.

Mario's heart raced the entire time the awards ceremony took place. He was more than happy that he and everyone sitting to his right were receiving these rewards, but this ceremony was not what he was so worried about. Something that was to take place during the ceremony was the thing that made his heart beat so heavily, that made the cool outdoor night air feel like it was about a hundred degrees, which made him feel as though he might be consumed by his own anticipation. He sat there patiently waiting for his turn to make his way up to the podium without any real obvious sign that he was nervous. His usual fearless demeanor gave people around him a reason to hope for the best. He felt as though he must maintain his composure for them.

Finally, he heard the call for him to come to the podium to receive his well deserved award. Once again, he clenched his fist tightly and released its tension a second later. He stood up and began making his way over to the podium. At that moment, the sound of his own breathing and heart beats seemed to drown out the sounds of the cheering from all of his fans. He knew they were cheering and clapping for him, and he appreciated all of it greatly, but decided to let nothing distract him from completing the task he planned for many weeks.

He stood in front of the podium with his award in hand waving at the cheering crowd with the other. As he made his speech, he felt as though he were in some kind of dream. He spoke flawlessly as though he was reading from a cue card, but he felt as if it kind of wasn't really happening. Then came the moment of truth, Mario let everyone know he had something very important he needed to ask. He turned to face the princess, simultaneously knelt down and raised a small opened box upwards. Then came the question.

"Princess Peach, will you marry me?" Mario asked as everything went completely silent.

A few moments later, he saw something he never thought he see in his life. The woman he asked to marry was lying on the floor unconscious. To be more accurate, it seemed as though she might be dead.

"What went wrong?" he asked himself in a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

Both Mario and his brother Luigi were now staying in one of the castle's rooms. They agreed upon the Princess's advisor Toadsworth's request to stay and help guard the castle.

Luigi finally woke up after a long night's sleep. After yawning and rubbing his eyes, he turned over to face Mario who was sitting in his bed facing away from him looking out the window. He continued to stare at his older brother until his expression turned from a neutral one, to one filled with pity.

"How long do you plan to stare at the back of my head?" Mario asked.

Luigi sighed and said "I really do feel sorry for you man. I mean…all this time, I knew you were in love with her. It's just that since you never talked about it much, or showed much obvious interest, I sometimes just completely forgot about how much she really meant to you."

"Luigi…you know better than anyone else why," Mario said.

"Of course I do. I am your brother after all," Luigi said.

Just then, they both heard a knock at the door.

In unison, both brothers said "Come in."

The door opened quickly to reveal one of the castle's toad guards.

"Sorry for the intrusion sirs, but you have visitors," The guard said.

"Visitors? Who might they be?" Luigi asked.

"First, they are not anyone you need be cautious about, but they insisted that I not tell you who they are. They want you to see with your own eyes," The guard explained.

Both Mario and Luigi made their way to the castle's front gate. As soon as they saw who their visitors were, they were quite surprised.

"Princess Daisy, it's been a long time," Luigi said happily.

"Hello Bow. It's good to see you again," Mario said.

"This is indeed more serious than I thought. I've never seen you this way before Mario. It's subtle, but I can tell that you're depressed," Daisy said.

"I can tell…you're not exactly happy with me…are you Bow?" Mario asked.

"It's good to see you again too Mario, but you're right, I'm not happy. I'm sure you know why," Bow replied.

"I'm just going to stay out of that one. Mario, you're on your own this time. You know how to make people happy in general, but when it comes to women, you're kinda prone to making them angry," Luigi said.

"You don't have to rub it in like that. Anyway, I'm sure you both had other reasons for traveling as far as you did to get here. And since neither of you sent a letter before hand, I'm sure you wanted this meeting to be as secret as possible," Mario said, "Not only that, since when does a princess travel this far away from her kingdom with only two body guards?"

"Well, I'm glad to see that this recent incident didn't make you any less perceptive Mario," Daisy commented, "But yes, I do have an important matter to discuss with you. I'm not sure about Lady Bow here, but I imagine she's not just here to give you a scolding."

* * *

Inside the castle, they were all heading towards a room in one of the deepest basements in the castle.

As soon as they arrived at the doorway, two guards shook their heads in acknowledgement and began opening the large iron doors.

As soon as they were opened all the way, Mario said "Through that window at the other end of the room, you'll see what you came here to see. Just be prepared to be a little shocked."

"Now you're making me nervous," Bow said.

Mario and Luigi let their guests go first. When they finally saw what they were looking for, they both looked like they had seen a ghost. Nervousness and confusion were written on their faces.

Through the window, they could see Peach lying on a hospital bed squirming around and breathing heavily with doctors trying to hold her down. She was asleep despite all of her movement. She would let out a brief scream or groan from time to time, and she was sweating like she had the worst fever ever.

"Why is this happening to her? What's wrong with her?" Daisy asked.

"She's been like this for three weeks now. Sometimes she will lie there still, while sometimes, she'll be like this. We still haven't figured out exactly what's wrong with her," Luigi explained.

"You're saying even the best doctors in the world, which I'm sure she could easily afford, can't make a complete diagnosis?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah. It's definitely a real mystery. To be honest, we're some of the few people that even know that she's in this state. Even her top advisor, Toadsworth doesn't know. He has clearance to enter any portion of this castle, but he chose not to be told. He knows it's bad, but he insisted that we not tell him any details," Luigi replied.

"Tell us Mario. What really happened that night?" Bow asked.

"To be honest. I kind of wished you wouldn't ask, but…I'll tell you anyway," Mario said, "I'm sure both of you know by know that I proposed to her, right?"

"Yes. That's when the incident occurred, right?" Daisy asked.

Bow's angry expression returned, and then she said "Yes, and that's why I'm angry. It was also quite difficult to get that information out of anyone."

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'll tell you what happened. As soon as I asked the question, she looked down at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression. I was thinking to myself 'how could she not know that I cared about her that way?' Suddenly, she started to appear light-headed, then she grabbed the sides of her head with both hands and let out a very strained scream. Immediately, most of the people in the crowd stood up instinctively in shock wondering what the hell just happened. She then took a few steps forward and fell backwards. We're not sure if she went unconscious before or after her head impacted the floor. There she was, lying motionless. Luigi and a few other people ran over to her and checked her out to see if she was okay. She wasn't breathing, so she appeared to be dead. I was on both my knees staring at her unable to move. For the first time ever, I had no idea what to do in a crisis situation. I mean sure, I rarely know everything I'm supposed to do, but this time, I had nothing. I kept asking myself 'What went wrong? What the hell went wrong." That's when they announced that she really wasn't breathing, and that her heart had stopped beating. Afraid that she was dead, that was the thing that made me begin to cry. I hadn't cried since I was small child. I'm sure others in the crowd were also crying, but I didn't bother to make sure. A minute later, two toads with a stretcher arrived, she let out a terrible sounding cough. She began breathing very heavily and she was grabbing her chest in pain. They immediately began carrying her away and announced that it was absolutely imperative that no one let this news leave the Mushroom Kingdom. That's why you didn't find out until you got here and that they realized that you both helped save this kingdom before. I was so relieved to know that she was still alive," Mario explained.

"So she was perfectly fine one moment, and the next, she almost dies, and now she's like this. This is all too weird. I don't know what to make of it, but I do see why you wouldn't want this news to reach beyond this kingdom. If people like Bowser or Wart found out, this kingdom would be under attack in no time. What I'm about to tell you isn't something that Boos don't often discuss with the living, but some of us do have the ability to sense the presence of living beings. 'Some of us?' you might ask. Well, believe it or not, the reason why most Boos know you are coming before you get to where they are is because all of us have really sensitive hearing. Only relatively few of us can actually sense your presences, and I happen to be one of them. What I can attempt for you is to use my senses on the Princess to see if I can find out what's bothering her, but I can't make any guarantees," Bow explained.

"That would be a really great help to us. If you would, we would be very grateful," Mario said.

Bow closed her eyes and began scanning Peach's body with her mind to see if she can find the source of the problem. After five minutes or so, she finally opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't find anything," Bow said

"Nothing?" Mario asked.

"Exactly. To be more accurate, I can't scan the inside of her body. I can sense the surface of her body, but beneath it, I can't find anything. It's like she's an empty shell. I've never felt anything like it. It's as if she's found a way to completely mask her life force…but…I'm not so sure that's really the case. It might be something else altogether," Bow explained.

"How is that possible?" Luigi asked.

"I have no idea. However, it's just as weird as the reason I came here, though I highly doubt she's connected with it in any way," Bow answered.

"Well, why did you two come here anyway? I'm more than sure you didn't just come here to check up on the princess. I think finding out about her was just to settle your curiosity," Mario said.

"Well Mario and Luigi, I think I might need your help," Daisy replied.

"That's the same reason I'm here," Bow said.

"Well, whatever it is, it'll have to be important enough to get us to leave the Mushroom Kingdom while Peach is in this condition," Mario said.

"It might just be," Daisy said.


	4. Chapter 4

Mario's oldest nemesis, the evil King Bowser sat in his throne tapping his large sharp claws on the throne's arm as he waited very impatiently for the arrival of one of his subjects.

"_He'll show up on time…as he always does. I just can't stand the wait_," He thought to himself.

He stopped tapping his fingers as soon as the door to the throne room opened.

"Finally," Bowser whispered.

A koopa wearing armor fashioned to appear as an ordinary rock if he should retract into his shell came walking towards his king.

"Out with it. What news do you have to report?" Bowser commanded.

"That's just the problem sir. I technically don't," The koopa answered.

"Then…I was right after all," Bowser said with a slight irritated grin as smoke passed through his teeth from inside his mouth.

"Yes, you were right when you predicted that there would be heightened security surrounding the Mushroom Kingdom followed by an eerie prolonged period of silence. It's the same as it was a couple of days ago. The lack of people entering and exiting the kingdom is the strangest part," The koopa explained.

"So they tighten security suddenly and go out of their way to make it seem as though not enough has changed to be a cause for concern. It's a good thing I send you out there so often to spy hidden as a rock. Out of all of my subjects, you have the most patience. You have never made the slightest mistake in blowing your cover. I doubt even I could sit still for that long on a regular basis. I commend you," Bowser congratulated.

"Yes, well, unlike most of your subjects, I actually follow your orders without complaint. You pay well enough for me to make the decision to actually "**do**" the job you hired me for to the letter. I will do my best to continue pleasing you if it is within my power, your highness," The koopa said.

"That's good to hear, and you will be given what you deserve. Now, before you return to your post, tell Brahm to pass the message along to all of my spies that they are to report to me in the sequence that I discussed with them a month ago. If they all come at once, they will likely be detected," Bowser commanded.

"At once, my lord," The Koopa acknowledged before leaving the throne room.

"_I don't know yet what you're trying to hide from me, my lovely princess, but I am not as stupid as you might think. I will know soon enough. In the mean time, I should be checking up on my wizards. They'll be finished soon enough with their latest assignment. I normally hate waiting, but I can make an exception for this one. I will destroy those damned plumbers once and for all, and then you will finally be mine, Peach_," Bowser thought to himself.

* * *

Elsewhere in a secluded underground location, the evil King Wart sat at the head of the table in his briefing room. Even after the miserable defeat him and his kingdom suffered at the hands of Mario, his subjects still decided to remain loyal to their king. Eight years passed since his defeat.

"My king, we have some news you will probably find very intriguing," A soldier said while he handed Wart a sheet of paper.

After reading it, Wart's eyes widened in surprise. Soon after, a devious grin formed on his face.

"Well now gentlemen, it seems as though the hands of fate have finally turned in our favor. At long last we have a solid chance of having our revenge on that horrible plumber. His little friends aren't the ones we need to worry about…BUUUUUTT…if they pose too much a problem this time around, we'll have to take them out too. Captain, send a message to your troops. Soon, we go to war," Wart declared.

* * *

A being of highly misunderstood origin pondered the strange energies he'd been sensing coming from the world he had once become acquainted with. For days, he remained in one spot, motionless, floating in the space between dimensions. For a while, he didn't consider this event to be of any concern to himself…

"But now…now I'm beginning to worry. Is this a matter of the one known as Bowser? Hmm…no, no it's not. Is it Mario?" He asked himself aloud.

A moment later, his eyes widened, and he then said "That was not what I had expected. Mario, you're going to need to discover a new reason as to why you fight to prevail this time," He said.

* * *

Mario, Luigi, Daisy, and Bow sat waiting for the guards to leave the room.

As soon as the click from the lock was heard, Daisy sighed and asked "Have either of you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately besides Peach?"

"What do you mean exactly? There have been a few strange things going on lately. One, we've heard that Bowser has been sending more troops than usual to seemingly random locations around the world supposedly trying to find something. On top of that, he hasn't sent us any threats in a month. That is definitely odd. Phantos are acting out-of-character. I've seen a few Chain-Chomps behaving really cautiously. That's never happened before in my life. Neither of these I doubt could be the reason you came all this way," Luigi replied.

"It just so happens that those strange things you've noticed are a direct result of why we've come here," Bow said.

"So you are here for roughly the same reason as I," Daisy said.

Bow nodded, then Mario asked "I'm inclined to assume that there is a much larger picture to be seen, but it's not possible without this one detail we've failed to guess; am I right?"

"Well, yes…and no. I can tell you that no one really knows the full picture. In fact, even I'm still left in the dark by a lot, even with the kind of connections that I have. My question to you two guys is…have you noticed a strange…heavy quietness in the air lately?" Daisy asked.

After thinking about it for a moment, both brothers' eyes widened suddenly.

"So then, there really is something to that after all. Didn't think it had any real significance. Both me and Mario noticed it for the first time about two weeks ago, discussed it, but decided to ignore it. Now that you mention it though, it seems to have gotten a bit stronger than before. I thought it was just some quick phase," Luigi replied.

"I happen to be one of the few Boos who have the ability to psychically sense the presence of other nearby individuals and certain types of energy patterns. I can sense it quite easily compared to humans, and it's frightening more than just Chomps," Bow explained.

"I see," Mario acknowledged.

"A while ago, a small group of Shy Guys dressed in black and metallic silver came to the front gate of my city asking to speak with me. I can see by the looks on your faces that you've never seen any of them dressed that way before. Neither have I until then. I wondered if it was some prank they were playing. Turns out there are plenty of them we know nothing about. I asked them what business did they have and they told me that they were sent to tell me to pass along a message. The message was that there will be a great catastrophe that will rain down on all the world soon and that if we had anything that would aid in preventing its destruction, we should be prepared to use it. As quickly as they came, they left. I attempted to ask them what they knew, but they said nothing else. I didn't feel as though it would be right to chase down and restrain non-attackers, so I let them leave. I realized that they were definitely being serious by their tone of voice. Since then strange things have been happening including me being able to notice that odd feeling in the air. That's why I'm here, to let you two know, and to ask for your help. Only…I wonder if I've come to the right place, considering the condition Mario is in," Daisy explained.

A second later, Mario clenched his right fist tight and said "This may be the first time my resolve has been compromised, but it hasn't affected my ability to fight as I always have."

"Don't underestimate him, Daisy. I'm sure he still has what it takes. How many times has he save the world now?" Bow asked.

Mario then stood up and walked over to a large painting of an old forgotten king.

Looking at it, he said "Honestly, I never counted. I don't remember how many times my brother and me have risen to the challenge of protecting those who need it. We never even once asked for a reward. Monuments have even been built in our names, but I don't know…I wonder sometimes if any of our efforts are amounting to anything. I know the part where saving lives is worth it, but I feel sometimes there is something…missing. I wonder if that king in the painting there ever found that missing thing, or did he always feel as though he had it. It's when you start wondering about this, you also wonder whether everyone else in the world has also pondered this as well. Have any of you ever pondered this?"

"I don't know what to say. I've never known you to be so burdened with life questions before," Luigi replied.

"Forget I said anything. As for your request, I'm willing to offer any help I can in a time of need, but I will need to find a way to further insure Peach's safety first," Mario said.

Daisy sighed and said "Thank you. I was starting to think this was a mistake, but it's turning out all right after all."

"And that's why I am here as well. Boos normally have little to worry about, considering our…condition…but this isn't a normal circumstance, so we've become quite worried. It could be a false alarm, but we decided to let you know anyway," Bow added.

"If Boos are worried, then we should definitely take this seriously. Then there's another matter. Have either of you considered it possible that maybe this…strange energy flow may have some connection to Peach's condition?" Luigi asked.

"That's a good point actually," Bow commented.

"I've had that in mind since the first time it was mentioned. I pray that's not the case, and not just for her sake. I, of course, don't know how the two could be related," Mario answered.

"It really doesn't make much sense right now, but I will have to discuss this matter with my advisers and wise men at home. I really shouldn't be away from my kingdom too long. I will be leaving now. Thank you for your cooperation, all of you. And one more thing…Mario…seriously…we do need you to hold yourself together. We honestly can't afford for you to fall apart. I understand quite well that this is a difficult time for you, but please, do try to endure," Daisy concluded before heading out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Bow didn't necessarily have any place to be for the time being, so she asked if she could stick around for a little while longer. She was allowed to stay for more than one reason. She did help people to better understand what they were dealing with, but she was told that since she wasn't considered a threat, they didn't really have a problem with her staying as long as she wished. There was also the unmentioned reason: the fact that she didn't need food was an expense that needed not be worried about.

She floated stationary as she watched Mario and Luigi both spar with each other. Many others were in attendance as well. The level at which they've improved over the years was awe inspiring. One factor of their improvement came from the recent discovery, that after so many years of absorbing the power from fire flowers, they were then able to produce a relatively small amount of fire from their own body's energy.

* * *

You are what you eat…I suppose.

* * *

Anyway, one technique they learned while training with each other, was the ability to form a quick burst of flame at any spot around their body to be used as a quick shield…and possibly a well timed attack. Useful; but, there are limitations. It is true that when absorbing a fire flower, you do gain a relatively small resistance to high heat exposure. It rarely served either of them because they were usually always in a circumstance where an overwhelming amount of heat was present. In this case, they now always have that small amount of added heat resistance, but they can't keep producing these "shields" around the same spot on their bodies too rapidly because they risk burning themselves. They can also produce the usual fire ball attacks that they're accustomed to from before, but they can't throw them too rapidly or they'll burn their hands. The good news is that they can't produce it too rapidly anyway because they'll exhaust their life force. It's only good in the sense that it makes it less likely that they'll burn themselves.

With this idea in mind, one can only imagine what possibilities are in store when they actually absorb a fire flower.

Their fighting skills, on the other hand, have improved so much that some people are becoming somewhat frightened. Bow was no exception. She felt their sentiment. Their techniques had become so refined that even if you charged them with a weapon in hand, you most likely wouldn't stand a chance.

As the brothers sparred with each other, at least half of their hand movements were invisible because of their speed. As of now they had been trying to land a punch on each other's face for over five minutes with no success. Others wondered how they could possibly keep up the pace for so long.

Luigi jumped back about fifteen feet away from Mario suddenly, pointed his finger at him with a frustrated look on his face, and then asked "What…is…your problem? You make all the right moves but you are just constantly repeating yourself."

"What are you-a getting at?" Mario asked.

Luigi fired a green ball of flame at Mario and watched as he just swatted it away.

"That's what I'm-a sayin' right there. You need to push it harder than that. You're doing the same old shit you've-a been doing for the past seven months," Luigi yelled.

Frustrated, Mario asked "Do I really need to change what I'm doing? It's been getting the job done so far."

"You know what you've been doing? You've been in auto-pilot for seven months. Where's-a your drive?" Luigi asked.

As Mario realized Luigi's concern, he suddenly shifted his gaze to the spectators as if he had no control over his own body. He saw how the others were beginning to think about what Luigi just said.

He looked back at Luigi and asked "Why are you complaining? I've been steadily getting stronger, haven't I?"

"Yes! Stronger, faster, you name it, it's-a true. That's not enough, Mario. Sooner or later, Bowser is gonna find a way around your fighting style. You're becoming predictable. I might not be able to hit you because of your speed, but I can still read you like a book. I won't be surprised if Bowser one day tells us that he's noticed the same thing about you. What's wrong with you, man?" Luigi asked.

Mario looked to his right and noticed a window with his reflection in it.

A few seconds later, he said "Hmm…"

He walked over to the window and placed his hand on it.

A moment later, he said "Tell me, Luigi. Have I always looked this way to you?"

Not only Luigi, but the others also reacted pretty harshly to his question.

Bow spoke up from the crowd saying "What are you…"

Mario cut her off saying "I asked Luigi."

Not one of them had seen or heard this side of Mario before.

"I don't know what you are trying to say. You always looked this way, I mean, besides your age," Luigi answered nervously.

"My…age? Hmm. My physical training keeps me looking about twenty three or so, but I'm actually thirty one, just as you all obviously know. You see this guy in the reflection? I hardly recognize him," Mario said without changing his mostly calm tone.

Nervously, Luigi said "This must be some kind of joke."

"A…a joke. Hmm. How many of you have ever heard-a me tell a joke? I'll wait for it," Mario said.

About thirty seconds later, Luigi finally said "I really can't remember you ever telling a joke. You've made countless witty comments, but never a joke. What's wrong with you, brother?"

"Before I answer that, I need to know, when you people look at me, what do you see?" Mario asked.

"I see the greatest hero this kingdom has ever seen," a soldier answered.

"I see what you've always been," Luigi answered.

"You see me as your brother, and that is what I am. I see it too. I see you as my brother. I suppose by definition you can call me a hero, but if that's true, how come I've never seen myself that way. I see the basic hero profile, but you people have actually placed me on this high pedestal and made me out to be this titan class figure or a knight in shining armor. When I look into the mirror, I don't see that. It's really the funniest thing. For years I kept convincing myself that I see things the way you people see it, but then one day I looked into a mirror and wondered why I looked so strange. This was about a few years ago now. The next morning it hit me. I couldn't remember the last time I looked in a mirror before that. That was when I started wondering what you guys are seeing through your eyes for the first time in my life. I wanted to understand what you guys were thinking about without actually asking you. One day, about three or four months later, this kid asked me what I would've done if I never decided to become a hero. I gave him an answer. I told him that I probably would've just remained an ordinary plumber. He then said that he should've guessed something that obvious. So I went on about my day like any other. Days passed, and then, out of the blue, I thought about the answer I gave him again. For some reason, I couldn't believe the answer I gave any more. I felt damn near like I was lying to the kid, but the only times I ever lied was to Bowser to protect people. Two days later I knew what the problem was. Now, I knew what it was…but it didn't bother me until much later. The problem was simple. I didn't decide on this. I didn't choose to be a hero. You said it that day at the party when I asked you Luigi. You said that we've been doing this for so long now that you don't really remember when we started," Mario explained.

Surprised, Luigi said "Oh, you did ask me if I knew when we started. I didn't know this was bothering you."

"And-a guess what. You just added more to it a minute ago. You said that you see what I've always been. It's true that babies don't have what it takes to be heroes, but…beyond all that realm of the painfully obvious, I do…not…remember when I started this hero work. I've always been this. I learned plumbing and a few other skills along the way, but if I was never a hero first, would I have ever decided to become a plumber. There is actually no possible way for any one of us to tell. I didn't choose this, so why do I do it? Honestly, I don't know. When I see myself in the mirror, that guy in the reflection seems like somebody I don't know," Mario explained.

Luigi then said "That makes no sen…"

Mario cut him off and said in a frustrated tone "Look! I know it makes no sense. I never made much of an opinion about myself…to myself. And when I tried to see myself through my eyes instead of yours, I didn't recognize myself. They say that a person is measured by what they do. Okay. I get where they're coming from. But that's just the what, but what about the why? There's a reason for everything, right? I don't know the reason. I don't know why I do this. Talk about auto-pilot, man. I've been in auto-pilot all my life, just doing what I think is necessary as each new situation comes. It's only now that it's becoming noticeable. I never questioned it in the past. I just felt like that's just the way life was…until…I wondered why none of you were in my shoes instead. Why did Luigi and me become the heroes while none of you did? How come we weren't ordinary people while that guy over there was the big hero, for example? Some of you have done heroic things, but there is a big difference between the number of heroic things we've done versus you. That is a huge gap worth investigating, wouldn't you say?"

By this time, he wasn't frustrated anymore, but the seriousness of his demeanor could not be ignored.

"So…you're saying you've been operating on the expectations of the people?" a Toadstool asked.

"Don't get me wrong. I do think I'm doing the right thing. Helping people is constructive and it brings happiness and I like that. What Bowser does is definitely wrong. It's that I…wait, what? The expectations of the people?" Mario asked.

The same Toadstool then said "It's a good thing this conversation is staying between all of us here. I don't plan on announcing this to anyone outside the castle walls, but I've had that assumption about you for a while now. You've matured so much from your younger years and you don't always wear that happy-go-lucky expression on your face anymore, but you still go way out of your way to maintain that confident hero public image like you used to. I was wondering when you were going to start acting more serious and down-to-business like the soldiers here usually do. Unless you're really like that, I'm having a hard time buying that amazing youthful exuberance, or whatever you call that, at thirty one years old. It became really obvious to me when all that nearly completely disappeared right after Peach's incident. You probably don't even dwell on it like I'm making it out to be. You probably do it mostly without realizing it. You really shouldn't try to give people the idea that you're going to last forever. That's like giving them unrealistic hope."

"Did you have to lay it down on him like an anvil? That's a bit much to hit somebody with all at once," Bow said to the Toadstool.

"It's okay, Bow. He's right," Mario said.

He finally removed his hand from the window leaving behind dust from his sparring session.

He turned to face everyone and said "He helped me see what I've been doing for what it is. I was doing it more instinctively than like a well constructed plan. I see it all now. You have better eyes than I do, sir. For me…this hero lifestyle wasn't like trying to get over a big hurdle to do the amazing things I do. Amazing is an interesting word to describe it…but anyway; I…this is all I know. Some people decided to go to school to improve the quality of their lives. Me…I started out at a level that many people wish they were at or are training very hard for. Is this fate? Is this a part of some grand design? Why do the Mario Bros. have th…why were we born like this and nobody else was? Maybe what I'm really trying to say is; why is it that I don't feel like I was given a choice to do this? I almost feel like I was programmed like a machine to do this and have only recently realized it. How come I wasn't presented with the yes or no question?"

"You know something, bro? I never heard you talk like this before. I never knew you thought this deeply about things. Speaking of what we have. How come we didn't have to struggle so hard to earn fame when some people struggle their whole lives trying and still die a forgotten nobody in the eyes of the public? I know how big-headed that made me just sound," Luigi said seriously.

"You see? That's exactly…you get exactly what I'm talking about. When you saw me looking at that painting of that king, I was looking at him thinking 'What makes you so special?' I was wondering why he was born a king instead of a citizen. At the same time, why was Peach born royalty instead of…umm…Goombella for argument's sake? Just so you all know, this is speculation and not an attempt to belittle Peach's status. I just want to understand these things. Well, then again, something good did come out of it all. At least I'm not evil like Bowser," Mario said with a slight grin.

"Eww. Imagine if Peach was in Bowser's place, and Mario was always rescuing Bowser from Peach. Bowser as one of the good guys seems impossible," another one of the guards said.

"That is a strange thought. I can say this much. I'm not seriously considering quitting the hero business. This is my life. It's what I do. I just need to reevaluate it all. I want to see how I can manage to make the good I do into something better by rethinking it. If I continue as I am, I'll probably just continue that auto-pilot thing because of how unmotivated I've been feeling. You're right, Luigi. I used to progress way faster than I have been these past few months. But…for now, it's time we get back to our training, if you're still up to it, brother," Mario said.

"We might as well," Luigi agreed as he returned to his fighting stance.

"And before we continue, I'm sorry about all this. I feel that awkward vibe in the air like I picked a bad time for this," Mario apologized.

"Don't worry about it. We all face ourselves at some point in our lives. Just keep trying and you ought to get where you need to be without too much trouble. I think you'll be fine," the same Toadstool said.


	6. Chapter 6

Bowser suddenly heard a knock on the door to his throne room.

"Seems urgent," a magikoopa guard said.

"It does…doesn't it? Fine, open the door," Bowser ordered.

The two armored koopa guards opened the door and Bowser raised a curious eyebrow to the sight that he was seeing. Apparently, it must be important enough to bring an ordinary monty mole into his throne room. But then again, the mole barely seemed frightened of the fact that he was near the ruthless evil king Bowser.

"What is this all about?" Bowser asked.

"Tell him what you told us now. All our hides are on the line right now for this interruption," one of the koopa guards commanded.

"Indeed they are. Speak mole," Bowser demanded.

"O-okay. Umm…I should start there. I was minding my own business searching for some food. And out of nowhere, I saw what looked like a glowing yoshi. The thing was rainbow colored. The colors kept changing slowly, but the yoshi's form looked odd. I'm not even sure it was a yoshi because I didn't get a chance to see it's face. I was naturally curious, so I followed the thing. It didn't seem to notice me at all. It moved at a walking pace the entire time. We both wound up inside of this formation of plants and tree branches that was like a cave. The light coming from the creature glowed brighter than before to light the dark shade so it could see it's way around. I was definitely wondering if it was safe to follow, but I really wanted a chance to see it's face. He finally turned around far enough for me to see his face, but there was no face," the mole explained.

"No face? What kind of bogus…never mind. Continue," Bowser commanded.

"It's hard to describe. It was like a blur. The glow from his face, which wasn't so terribly bright, seemed to distort my vision so the area where his face was seemed to blur inwards into his body but it was foggy, but not like mist, but like an odd light that I've never seen before. The next thing I knew, the world around me suddenly shifted, split apart into several pieces, jumbled, and became black. Only a moment later, I fell from about twenty or so feet in the air to the ground, but I was out in the open where I saw first saw the creature stand. It was grassy there, so I didn't hurt myself. I panicked like I never panicked before. Only a short moment later, I was being surrounded by your men who heard me fall and hit the ground," the mole explained.

"The only reason we have to believe his story is the odd sound we heard before he fell. It sounded like a weird mix of wood crackling and some energy distortion sounding similar to a lot of paper clips being spilled onto a thin sheet of metal that echoed kind of like it happened in a large empty room. It was a sound like no other. On our way here, we noticed that the chain chomp we encountered seemed afraid of this mole. We had a magikoopa check him for any form of known deadly energy waves coming from him before we brought him here. None was found, but she did notice that there was definitely something odd about him she couldn't explain. What do you make of this, sire?" the guard asked.

A moment later, Bowser finally replied "There is no text that I know of that speaks of such a creature. It doesn't sound like something he just made up either. Who thinks of such things. Phantos might, but they don't speak our language, so that's out of the question. It seems to me this thing noticed you and then teleported you away somehow. Judging by what the magikoopa said and the issue with the chomp, I would say he left you with his mark somehow. It's not visible, so that energy will probably just dissipate in a little while. The issue is that I want to know if this has anything at all to do with the big disturbance everybody's been yapping about. I want our best magikoopas to examine him, and my furry fellow, we need a small blood sample from you. It's only but a prick from a needle. Other than that, you won't feel any pain. Beyond this procedure, I won't be needing you anymore, and you can go about your merry way. Two things though. Don't resist and don't report this to anyone. I have ways to find out. Even if you don't believe my connections are that good, would you really want to risk your life? Hmm? I didn't think so. This will be done hopefully by the end of the hour, depending on how fast the magikoopas get this done. Don't you people wait around. Hurry up and get this over with."

And with that order, everyone else but his main guards cleared out of the room in a hurry.

* * *

A physician was hired to both examine and to heal Princess Peach if possible. He was of course, with the kind of money Peach had, not just any ordinary physician. It's tricky really, and that's because he's not the greatest physical physician in the world. He wasn't even widely known about, and most of those who did know, didn't exactly trust him. His knowledge of sorcery was feared because of how ancient the knowledge is. Bowser knows of him, and at one time in the past wanted to learn what he could from him, but he was too well-protected. He lives in the center of what the outside world knows of as "The Lake of Nothingness."

This "lake" from a distance actually looks like a tall forest. As you get closer to it, the height of the trees seems to shrink. When you stand next it, the forest now looks like a lake. One peculiar thing to note is that everyone's perception of the lake is somewhat different. So far, the physician in question is the only known person to ever make it back out of the lake.

He described that once he crossed the threshold for the first time, the team of people behind him seemed to vanish. He couldn't even hear them. He tried to leave the lake but the more he walked towards the threshold, the more he realized that no matter how long he walked, he could never reach the shore…even though he was only about thirty feet away.

He continued to say that he traveled into the lake for two days never sinking more than half a foot into the water. He didn't feel solid ground below his feet at all. He said it felt more like he was walking on air, but it felt wet. After those two days, he was walking along and found himself suddenly surrounded by a completely different environment. He said that it seemed like a factory of some kind such as the way he imagined the way the evil king Smithy's main factory looked. Only a few people from Mario's world have ever ventured into Smithy's world, so most people can only imagine it based on the description. The biggest problem with this factory was that it was completely uninhabited. It was also completely quiet. Not a machine was active, and he could hear no other sounds besides the ones he made. He wasn't even able to make his yells echo. He soon found a way up to a platform with a window on a wall, and when he looked out, he saw the lake. He spent the next five days wandering around the place frightened beyond belief at the fact that there were no doors of any kind leading outside.

It was then that he finally realized that he hadn't eaten since he crossed the threshold, and neither had he slept. Stranger still was something he never fathomed possible. He didn't feel the slightest bit tired, sleepy, or hungry. He soon discovered that his only option for escape was to jump out of that window. That's also when he realized that that was the only window in the entire factory…but how can only that small window provide enough light for the entire inside of the factory…especially considering that there was no artificial light sources or torches lit? That's also when he realized that it had never turned night outside either, but he felt the feeling of night when his watch, which was the only active device in the entire place, showed night hours.

But then there's the high window. Would he die if he jumped out? Would he be transported to some other location entirely? He obviously did not know the answers. So he found some chains and managed to link them together and successfully climbed out.

He refused to tell anybody, including his family and closest friends anything that happened between that time and the time he discovered the ancient knowledge. He keeps repeating the story that if they knew what happened, they would then be put in danger. Heading the warning, people eventually became too afraid to ask anymore. Once he found the knowledge though, he began finding ways to heal people as well as a way out of the place. The thing that puzzles him the most about all this though, was even though it's been ten years since he left the lake for the first time, he never again found the team he was with before he crossed the threshold. Then there's the other strange thing. He can't remember their names or faces.

With the fact that he lives in that lake now, Bowser never attempts to enter or send any of his troops in there. He knows nothing of his trip to the Mushroom Kingdom either, so Bowser remains working on his own problems.

* * *

As the physician was preparing to examine the Princess, he was surrounded by many guards. Both Mario and Luigi were there as well. As the fact was stated earlier, he wasn't very well trusted.

"It is my assumption that her condition has not improved nor has it worsened. Would I happen to be correct?" the physician asked with a grin.

An armored ant guard replied "I don't see the humor in all this. You have guessed correctly though."

"My humor does not revolve around her ailment. I find it increasingly funny how people see me when they're thinking about my adventures and discoveries. The fact that you people are ready to run those spears through me if I attempt to harm your leader alone proves how you see me. You can say it's your job or duty or whatever, but then why do you need so many guards for this? Yes it's true. Inside these walls, away from the public eye and ear, political correctness is totally ignored and that leaves you all free to label me as you wish. Most don't seem to find that funny, but I do and I choose to speak on it," the physician said.

"Well, what do you expect when you come back home telling people of things that they have no means of understanding the way you can? For all we know, you could've learned how to curse us without us even knowing about it. You refuse to tell us all the details, so you should learn to deal with the fact that we see you as a possible threat," the same guard commented.

"Does your treasury department explain to you all the details of the inner workings of your kingdom's economy? You don't even have to answer because I already know they don't. There is no kingdom that explains those details to its people. Does your princess explain to you every detail of her domestic policy as well as international? I could go on, but you ought to get the point. Why should you trust her more than me? When have I ever been known to harm anyone with my knowledge? Of course you haven't heard any such report, because it never took place. On the other hand, Princess Peach has had to execute many prisoners for reasons that she's never fully explained to her people. In this case, you might've decided to put up with it and convinced yourselves that she's more trustworthy than me because it's your job. I'm nobody to you, so I get labeled. To me, that sort of thing is funny," the physician explained.

A moment later, he continued saying "As I predicted. You all burn with rage right now, but you're relying on me to try to save your princess, so you do nothing but clinch your fists, grind your teeth together, and fume. But then again, you wouldn't hurt me anyway unless I breach the signed agreement by attempting to harm her. Your own laws are a pain in the rear, aren't they?"

He turned to face the princess on the operating table, and then Mario spoke up saying in an angry tone "I don't like this stupid game you're playing, but it is true that no one is perfect, besides maybe God. Of course she's going to be faced with difficult decisions over time. You should know that. But I do agree with you when you said the part about who she is to us versus who you are to us. Maybe it is unfair, but how are we supposed to treat some stranger like yourself like you're someone we've known all our lives. Equal treatment for all would mean that we would also have to treat Bowser as a family member."

A couple of seconds later, the physician said "You didn't mention the political correctness part. All I want out of this, really, is for you people to be totally honest and treat people as you feel. Political correctness is merely a lie invented to keep the peace because people have a difficult time dealing with each other's bullshit. You shouldn't say equal treatment for all and then don't practice it. You say it, but then put regulations on it. It's like a gift with strings attached which is really no gift at all. I know it's easier said than done. Most people thrive on that lie, but I'd rather it suddenly change up overnight than never. And yes, honestly, I'd say that those stubborn people who can't let this go and get with the new program take their old program somewhere else and let those enjoying the new way of life live in peace. It makes no sense now, but if you get rid of lying, I bet you all that other evils will disappear right behind it. One step at a time, folks. One step at a time is the key."

No one had a word to say to add to his rant. He suspected as much. He simply continued preparing until his was ready. He cautiously made his way over to the table knowing he was being watched like a mouse in a box of starving snakes. His preparation was both mental and a series of totally foreign symbols he marked all over his body. To perform this procedure, he needed to be fully unclothed.

He slowly placed the tips of his fingers on Peach's forehead. He closed his eyes and began breathing differently than normal. Around fifty seconds or so later, he raised his hands and slowly placed them on her collar. He repeated the same process until he reached her abdomen. He then breathed in all the way, and then exhaled. All of the symbols on his body lit up bright white. He remained still for over three and a half minutes.

He finally turned to face the crowd and said while still glowing "She is fine physically. Her mind is the problem…as far as I can tell. It could be that a foreign presence is keeping her asleep like this. Her occasional thrashing about is likely her fighting against it. It feels as though she thinks she's as awake as we are now, but she doesn't know that that isn't the case. Beyond that, I can't tell what she's thinking about. I'm guessing something is attacking her, but I can't confirm that. As of now, I need to use what little information I've gathered from this examination to devise a better way of going about this. If I push too hard to break through whatever's blocking me out of her mind, I may cause her never to be able to wake up again even if the threat in question is erased. The spell I used is not strong enough to even put a rat into a coma. I have stronger spells, but if I don't formulate a better strategy, using a stronger spell would be too risky."

"So then, have you…or better yet, does what you sensed keeping her this way seem familiar to you at all?" A doctor asked.

"Well, I had that thought in mind. It's scared me for years, so I avoided it, but, I would need to try using this one other spell I know at this temple I came across four years ago. When I was there, I saw the same symbol you see here on my elbow. It could be a coincidence, but if it is one in the same, that could mean that I'm not the first to ever make it back out of the lake, or maybe some other circumstance is the case. When I was there, I felt a strange aura about the place that was similar in nature to this feeling. I could try it, but I would need protection considering how many Pokey's have taken up residence there since. Remember, my spells aren't attacking spells. I tried learning them, but I couldn't figure them out," The Physician explained.

"Why did it scare you to try it?" Luigi asked.

"That's because one: I've never encountered a matching symbol of any in the books I found in this world besides that one. And two: not a single spell in my book requires only one symbol to be written. None of the books make any mention of such a case. I had this feeling that it is even bigger a gamble than me venturing into the lake for the first time. I felt this "Beware of Wild Animal" vibe about it all," The Physician replied.

"Are you bothering to reveal this much about your secrets because you think this is our only lead?" The Armored Ant guard from before asked.

"That was quick thinking. Yes, that is exactly the case," The Physician replied.

"In that case, we need to think up the best way to protect you on that trip there without putting the protection of this kingdom in danger. If the Mario brothers leave with you, and Bowser discovers that, we'd be in serious trouble," the same guard said.

"You made the right judgment because this temple is a very long distance from here. By the way, I'm risking this mainly because I really don't like the feeling I'm getting about the vibes I sense from Peach. This could be very dangerous," The physician said.

"Right then. Let's-a start planning this thing," Mario said.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that night, Mario awoke from a nightmare but…

"I can't…what was it about? I can't remember it. How can I not remember something that scared me that much?" Mario whispered while sitting straight up in his bed.

"Mario?" a voice asked.

Mario suddenly looked to his right and just remembered that Luigi was sleeping in the other bed. The look in Luigi's eyes was of fear and realization. The glow of the moon reflecting off of Luigi's eyes made it all more eerie.

"You just said you had a nightmare. I woke up a few minutes ago and stared at the ceiling just thinking that you might wake up soon and tell me something like that. I also somehow thought you might not remember it. You weren't thrashing about or talking in your sleep, but I had a feeling…" Luigi explained.

"That feeling in the air is getting stronger. I wish I knew what it was. It's like we all can sense the same thing coming but we have no way to tell what we're waiting for. I wonder what Bowser has to say about this. I'm sure he's noticed it by now," Mario said in a somewhat worried tone.

"Even I want to know so much that I'd-a be willing to ask Bowser. He wouldn't tell us unless it benefits him, of course," Luigi added.

"He'd-a probably lie anyway. I'm tellin' you, Luigi. That nightmare I just had scared me worse than the first time I entered a ghost house. How can I possibly…not remember it?" Mario asked.

"I don't have a good answer for that. Now that I'm-a thinkin' about it, I can't remember a lot of my dreams at all that I had in the last few months. I usually remember every one of them that seem important. I've woke up several times recently not able to remember the dream I just had, and I know they were important because of the feeling I had. Anyway, Mario, we really need to get some more sleep. We can't stay up all night worrying about this," Luigi said before rolling over and closing his eyes.

"_It's easier for you to sleep since you didn't just have this nightmare_," Mario thought to himself.

* * *

Now, it's one thing to have a nightmare you can't remember, especially one that scares you more than usual, but then it's even stranger wake up one morning with a feeling you haven't felt before, and you know you haven't. Have you ever had one of those dreams where you wake up and realize that you are still dreaming? Have you ever woke up, but were somewhere between sleep and being fully awake, like you were in a trance? We probably all have at some point in our lives.

So the following morning, a man got up from his bed with a strange feeling that he couldn't describe. He was still drowsy to a certain degree. He walked over to his dresser drawer that had a mirror above it on the wall. He began staring into the mirror. He stared for an unusually long time with the most bewildered expression on his face.

After about thirty minutes or so, he decided to lay back down on his bed to try to sleep. After about another twenty minutes, he opened his eyes with and angry expression. So, he decided to get up and walk around the house to find something to do since he couldn't seem to get any sleep.

A minute later, he stood in front of his record player. Staring at it, he couldn't find it in him to play any music. He just stared at it. He then walked over to his note pad and began looking at his schedule. The longer he went over the list, the more of a sense of frustration he felt.

He decided to walk towards his front door to look out the window, and as he walked, he realized that normally, there's always the noise of activity going on outside this time of the morning, but this time, there was none.

As he opened the door, he looked outside to see if anyone was out there. He was somewhat reassured to see someone sitting on their front porch across the yard. The odd feeling wasn't letting up though. He decided to sit down on his own front porch steps.

Neither of them even so much as acknowledged each other's presence. They just sat staring into the distance thinking. Soon, a well known koopa came walking from on of the paths that led into the village. He soon stopped and began staring up at the sky also with a bewildered expression on his face. Both the men then look at him realizing that apparently, they were all feeling the same feeling.

Just then, a woman walked out onto her front porch with the same look on her face. Soon, both men got up from their seats and began slowly walking towards each other. The woman and the koopa came walking just as slowly to meet both of the men.

When they all stopped in front of each other, one by one, most of the other doors in the village opened, and people saw the small crowd and walked over to each other. Soon there was a large crowd.

Not a person could think of anything to say for over five minutes.

Soon the man finally decided to speak up saying "I can't…umm…hmm…you know?"

Just as he was finding a hard time finding the right words to say, so were the others.

About a minute later, the woman said "I'm gonna go…that way. Anybody want to walk with me?"

Slowly but surely, everyone from the crowd started walking with her. They walked slowly for a while just looking around at everything, and at each other. They decided to stop about a mile and a half from the village.

The man from before then said "I hardly…feel I recognize this. Even you all seem…I know who you all are, but…you know what I'm trying to say?"

Another man then said "I feel like…I feel as though…I'm still dreaming. Do any of you feel that way?"

"Yeah but…I remember having a dream…but I don't remember it. I take it, you guys don't either," a Bob-Bomb said.

"Why do I feel like I'm still in a dream though? Why do all of us feel the same way?" The woman from earlier asked.

* * *

Why indeed. All over the world, people were wondering the same things. The world and the people they knew all seemed out of place to them. They all acted more or less the same as the usually do because that's all they knew, but they began to question if any of it was ever real. Also, time seemed to move so much more slowly.

Over the next several days, the population realized that everyone was experiencing this, and that it was not just their own local problem. What is all this, and why? A new big question without a solid answer just forced its way into their lives.

It was too big of an issue for there to be no explanation. That was one thing they all understood though. So then…what exactly is responsible?"


	8. Chapter 8

Bowser's large heavy feet made a stomping sound as he slowly walked around his kingdom. The people around him that were working still managed to continue working at the same efficiency as before, but there seemed to be no enthusiasm in any of their faces. His own face also showed the same issue. The people around him who were on break mostly stared off into space with little or nothing to say. They would greet their king as well as they could, but it was obvious they couldn't shake the strange feeling that everyone around them was also inflicted with.

He didn't take it offensively for once for he felt the same. He did take some form of delight in knowing that when they did greet him, they would hope that in doing so, it would help their problem some, but it never worked.

As he made his way into a large mess hall, he could smell the food cooking, and he knew it would be delicious, but he couldn't bring himself to look forward to it. He could see how they were trying their hardest to please him.

A moment later, he stopped walking, opened his mouth and began speaking loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear "It's not even depressing. It's not happy…that's for sure. It's not a sadness I feel, and it's not a disappointment. I'm not tired…and I'm surely not sleepy. This feeling is of a nature I cannot describe. I clearly see you all must be feeling the same."

One of his soldiers looked up at him and responded "We feel it, sir. We all do. Most of us haven't bothered to comment on it much, and why is that? It's because we somehow feel like it's an old issue…like we've been in this state for a long time, but it's only been with us five days. How can that be? I feel like I've been dealing with this for months or maybe years. Everything and everyone seems so empty; not quite dead…but just empty or without substance. I don't even find pleasure in being near my family, and they feel the same. Our loyalty with each other seems as strong as before…as is my loyalty to you. That will never waver. My king…what should we do with this?"

"As we have been. This must not be the reason this kingdom falls. Something will be done about this someday, but we must continue with our lives. I am confident we can do this," Bowser replied.

And a moment of silence passed.

Bowser then said "I know how you feel. I barely felt my own words. Nevertheless, anyone slacking off in their duties will be punished as before. We all know that we can't let this kingdom go to waste."

As he walked away, he finished by saying "I will remain as strong as before even if it kills me, and I expect you all to do the same. I expect my meal to be ready when I return as usual."

When he was no longer in sight, the others began picking up their paces once again. Fear was becoming a questionable factor in all this. They knew of danger and of the wrath of their king, but they wondered if fear was a real emotion anymore. They barely felt it. They did, however, feel somewhat enthused by their king's perseverance. This was actually one of the only reasons they started working again. They knew he was right.

* * *

Everyone who was keeping an eye on peach was hoping for some change in her condition, and part of what they were hoping to see was if she would gave some sign that she may be the cause of the new condition of the world. They found no recognizable sign.

It was now a week into this issue, and the people were becoming annoyed that no one was able to figure out what the cause is. A sense of relief did manage to become apparent, however, when they realized this was also affecting dangerous creatures such as chomps and pokey's. There hadn't been a report of a mauling by any such creature the whole time. It seems the untamable had finally been tamed. Of course, no one was stupid enough to go stick their hand in the mouth of a wild animal regardless of the circumstances.

How much longer did they have to endure this was the question on everyone's minds.

* * *

The physician and his escorts finally arrived in the general area of their destination. From a distance, they could all see an incredible concentration of Pokeys, unlike anything they had ever imagined possible. Most people know of Pokey "nests," if you want to call them that. Few have actually seen them because of the extreme danger involved. In any other case, Pokeys are usually never seen traveling in groups of more than probably five at the most. This area had easily thousands in a roughly two square mile zone.

One soldier said "You were correct about there being a lot of them migrating to this area. I bet you didn't think there'd be this many."

The physician answered "I am as surprised as you are."

"I can tell that there is obviously a direct cause. Major differences in the natural order of things, such as this, never occur totally by chance. This difference is too much for that," Another soldier added.

The physician then added "You're right. What you guys haven't pointed out though, and that tells me that neither of you have been in this area before, is how much hotter outside it is compared to the usual. The plant life in this area is not used to this degree of heat. As you can see, they are withered slightly. I can tell you something useful and somewhat reassuring, depending on how you wish to receive it. It seems as though the very thing we came here to investigate is likely the cause of the heat as I can detect a high intensity of the type of magical energy relating to the symbol that I pointed out to you before emanating from the temple in those woods. In terms of usefulness, as my understanding of the situation stands, this is a sign that we are on the right track. I might just be able to get to the bottom of Peach's affliction sooner than anticipated, but actually curing it is still in the realm of wishful thinking at this point."

One of the soldiers spoke up saying "The fact that none of us have ever been here is not exactly true. The only time I've been here was many years ago as a child, obviously long before I signed up to serve our princess. I was here only during the night riding in the back of a buggy, and we never ventured into those woods. I didn't even know there was supposed to be a temple there until recently. Since it was winter at the time, I wouldn't know how abnormal what we're feeling now is. How much time did you spend here before?"

The physician scratched the back of his head frustrated at his own inability to ignore the same unmotivated feeling everyone else was feeling, and then after a moment, he finally answered "About two weeks."

"So then you've had enough time to determine that what you're seeing now is quite abnormal. Well then, mister, which way should we go first?" the same soldier asked.

After rubbing the side of his face, the physician pointed his right hand, and followed by a frustrated growl, he finally replied "There, in that area not quite so heavily crowded with those Pokey creatures, is the shortest way to the temple that I know of. I've never personally entered or exited from the other side, and by the time we check the other side, we might run into three or four times the amount we see now."

"I can't stand this awful condition either. I've never experienced anything this frustrating in my life. Risking myself against these Pokeys pales heavily in comparison to this unexplainable misery," Another soldier commented.

"It's times like this I wish I did learn attacking spells. I know this your job, but I wish I didn't have to request that you men risk yourselves. On the other hand, if I traveled alone, your people might trust my motivations for healing Peach even less. Who knows what knowledge I will gain from this?" The physician pointed out.

"As a soldier, we often don't find a win-win solution. However, you were mindful enough of ours and our leader's safety to consider the risks carefully prior to travelling here, and that warrants my thanks at least. As iffy as it seems for now, this course of actions seems the least risky. Well it seems those Pokeys have mostly cleared that area for the time being save a few. If we move in quickly now, we can hopefully avoid a direct encounter with any of them," Another much older and wiser soldier said.

Everyone nodded to each other and made a run for it as quickly but cautiously as possible. The physician was given armor and a sword and shield. He was also given a lesson or two in sword fighting before they left the kingdom. Against creatures like Pokeys, it generally doesn't require much intellect to outrun or outmaneuver them, but if you plan to fight them, you need strength and a sense of timing.

These strange towering plants possessed by misunderstood spiritual beings have baffled and burdened the people for longer than anyone can remember. No one has any idea where they came from, but it seems as though these spirits or demons or whatever they are cannot interact with the physical realm without first possessing the plants they inhabit.

As the team neared the forest, they heard the characteristic sound of the Pokeys becoming aware of their approaching presence. It's a somewhat disturbing breath-like sound they make followed by them slowly turning to face their targets. Fortunately, the entire team consisted of fast runners though they all wore armor.

The older soldier from before thought to himself "_It's amazing that magician can run as fast as us. Either this is a fluke due to him being frightened or he's been through more than we thought_."

They all managed to run around and past the Pokeys they saw in their immediate path safely. The truth is, a child could avoid a Pokey quite easily, the problem is one will never guess when they'll encounter one that can move faster than the others, so it's always wise to simply run past them as fast as you can go. Once they all managed to escape the Pokeys' sight, they all took a moment to catch their breaths.

The same soldier couldn't help but ask "Mister…how is it you can run like a trained soldier? The armor you wear weighs about one hundred and fifty pounds."

A few breaths later, and the physician finally replied "It's not anything like a magic spell that makes me run faster. My father used to make me carry very heavy loads on my back for long distances, and I would often have to run while doing it. I still do that nowadays, but I have been slacking off some in the past few months. I need to start working out again. 'You shouldn't make that scrawny boy carry so much,' that old lady used to tell my father. I remember that like it was recent."

Another soldier asked "Your father; was he a soldier?"

"You could call him a wanna-be soldier. Turns out he wanted to be a soldier in a war as a child. He was rejected because his knees weren't as strong as he believed, so they told him. I never asked him, but I get the feeling he pushed me so hard because he wanted to try to talk me into serving in the military. Too bad he died before I was of age."

A few of the soldiers couldn't help but laugh a little at that story.

The older soldier then added "They say his knees weren't strong enough, huh? Such rigid regulations. Well, it's a good thing you can run like us. If we all perish, you'll need your endurance to get you out of a tight spot, though I will try to protect you all the same."

"Speaking of that, sir, we should probably be on the lookout for more of those blasted things or possibly other monsters. I doubt any bandits would try to brave this area at this time, so that's relieving," Another soldier pointed out.

"Right then, we should keep moving," The older soldier said as he signaled everyone to advance.


End file.
